With offices in Toronto and Montreal, and with extensive North American and global experience, the Torchia team delivers integrated and ad-hoc Public Relations programs and services to leading organizations, small and large. Torchia Communications remains a highly regarded Canadian Public Relations firm.

Is leadership for you?

Leadership comes with responsibility. Think of a good mother or father or a hero like Dr. Martin Luther King. Although we rarely dwell on it, part of that responsibility is selfless service. That includes active listening, patience, forgiveness and charity – for starters.

It means, too, weighing every word that comes from one’s mouth and every action taken in public, but also in private.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – A leader with a vision, commitment to dialogue, service to others and to taking the higher ground in the face of confrontation.

The leader of today’s organization shares in this calling.

Before accepting a leadership position, remember what the role entails: service of others, a conviction towards good, the ability to take the higher ground when faced with confrontation etc. A leader – especially when faced with scrutiny – must think of being “unblemished” in the eye of his/her stakeholders, humble in conversations and caring. The leader is better off doing the right thing, over and over again – not necessarily the actions that are easiest or most personally rewarding. The former behaviour yields long term fruit; the latter behaviour usually offers only short-term gain, at best.

In our world of Agency PR, leaders are expected to give a measure of time and attention to all audience groups, including angry or agitated members of the media. All of this helps breed good corporate citizens that will withstand the test of time – and an organizational culture that stresses the importance of service, communication and altruism.

So, even though it requires a lot of you, fight hard to become a selfless leader, if only for the sake of your organization and the audiences on which your success depends. It will also lead to great joy and personal gratification.